Plan your trip around Wales

TrawsCymru long distance buses are an ideal way of exploring Wales.

The 'TrawsCymru Day Ticket' allows unlimited travel on TrawsCymru services T1, T1C, T1S, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T12, X43, and the 460. You can download the TrawsCymru app or buy your ticket from the driver. Other fare offers include local rover tickets and integrated railway and bus tickets. Visit the TrawsCymru fares page for more details and to plan a journey.

The TrawsCymru network travels through some of Wales’ most spectacular landscapes, from the Pembrokeshire coast to the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and Eryri (Snowdonia) national parks.

The new TrawsCymru app lets you view bus timetables, view live vehicle tracking updates and tells you how much carbon emissions you’re saving by travelling with TrawsCymru.

Bus services for walkers and cyclists operate in the Welsh National Parks: the Coastal Buses in Pembrokeshire and the Sherpa'r Wyddfa in Eryri (Snowdonia). They’re designed to reduce traffic in the parks.

There are many bus services in Powys, including buses to Brecon, Elan Valley and Lake Vyrnwy.

Read more: Explore the Usk Valley and Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) on the bus,  Top things to do in Brecon and A visitor's guide to Elan Valley

fflecsi is a bookable bus service operating in 12 different locations across Wales, including Pembrokeshire, the Llŷn Peninsula, and the Conwy Valley.

fflecsi will pick you up and drop you off in a service area and not just at a bus stop. You can book your journey via the fflecsi app or by calling 0300 234 0300, then a bus picks you up at your request, changing its route so that all passengers can get to where they need to go.

Seasonal bus services operate in many areas over the summer months so you can travel around easily and sustainably.

Cardiff Bus operate an open top bus between Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay, daily from Mid June until the end of August. The open top bus continues to run for some weekends in September. The frequency on the Baycar service (route 6) between the city centre and Cardiff Bay is also increased during the summer.

There’s a Waterfall Country free shuttle bus service between the town of Glynneath and the village of Pontneddfechan, which runs on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Monday until early September. 

Pembrokeshire Coastal Buses operate all summer, and then into winter with a reduced service.

The Cymru Clipper service uses easy access buses and covers large towns in Swansea/Neath Port Talbot/Carmarthenshire. Tenby operates a Park and Ride service during the summer.

Enjoy spectacular views of the Pembrokeshire Coast on the Tenby Coaster. This open top bus operates from April until mid September, and connects Tenby (South Parade) to Saundersfoot via Tenby Esplanade, New Hedges and Saundersfoot Harbour. 

There are two Fflecsi bus services – Fflecsi Bus Conwy Valley between Llanrwst – Cwm Penmachno (Monday to Saturday, all year round), and the Llŷn Fflecsi operating Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday on the Llŷn Peninsula (up to mid September). These offer a more tailored way of getting about by picking you up and dropping you off in the defined area, and not just along a fixed bus route. You will need to book this service using an app.

Dee Valley Picturesque Bus service is a circular route runs Saturdays from April until early November, linking Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions.

The Sherpa'r Wyddfa is a unique bus service that travels around the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), linking the six main routes that travel up Yr Wyddfa, as well as the main car parks, villages and tourist attractions in the area. All journeys are operated by Low Floor buses with wheelchair space and ramp to ensure that the stops provided with raised kerbs are served by accessible vehicles.

The principal railway line in South and West Wales runs more or less parallel to the south coast, connecting Chepstow, Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, Carmarthen and Pembrokeshire. Branch lines from Newport, Cardiff and Bridgend serve The Valleys, the Wye Valley and the Vale of Usk.

The North Wales Coast Railway hugs the coastline through Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Conwy and Bangor to Holyhead. There’s also a branch line between Wrexham and Shotton.

There are several scenic railway lines in Mid Wales and North Wales. The Heart of Wales Line from Shrewsbury to Llanelli and Swansea cuts diagonally across the rolling hill country of Mid Wales. The Cambrian Line runs west from Shrewsbury to Machynlleth, where it meets the picturesque Cambrian Coast Line, which connects Aberystwyth and Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula. The beautiful Conwy Valley Line runs from Llandudno through Eryri (Snowdonia) to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

For those travelling by train around Wales who need extra assistance, Transport for Wales has a dedicated service for Train Accessibility. You can find a full breakdown of accessible features for each train including universal toilets, on-board audio and visual information and more. There is an Assisted Travel team to help book your journey, plus further assistance available if needed.

Additionally, you can take advantage of the National Rail Passenger Assist service, allowing you to request support from rail staff, whether navigating the station, boarding or changing trains. 

Assistance may be requested via the Passenger Assistance by Transport app, or by calling free on 0800 0223720 or text 60083. Textphone/minicom: 0845 60 50 600. Further details on the National Rail Website.

• National Rail Enquiries
• Traveline Cymru
• Transport for Wales
• Great Western Railway
• Avanti West Coast

At Blaenau Ffestiniog, you can hop onto the narrow gauge Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways to Porthmadog and Caernarfon. Other vintage railways in Wales include the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the Llangollen Railway from Llangollen to Carrog, the Talyllyn Railway from Tywyn to Nant Gwernol and the Vale of Rheidol Railway from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge. They all offer memorable journeys through impressive scenery. Find out more on the Great Little Trains of Wales website.

An Explore Wales Pass, Ranger or Rover gives you unlimited access to Wales’ mainline train services and many bus routes, plus discounted admission to many tourist attractions. There are options covering various parts of the country, valid for either one day or eight days.

A Railcard gets you 33% off adult fares and 60% off kids’ fares on mainline rail services, and a Great Little Trains of Wales discount card gets you 20% off the adult fare on several narrow gauge steam railways in Wales.

When making a journey by train, it's possible to buy a PlusBus ticket and make local journeys by bus. 

National Express operate long-distance intercity coach services along the south coast from Cardiff and Swansea to Pembrokeshire; from Newtown to Aberystwyth on the west coast; and along the north coast from Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno to Bangor.

Megabus runs a low-cost coach service between Newport, Cardiff, and Swansea.

Flixbus operate services to and from Cardiff to Swansea, via Bridgend.

National Express Accessible Transport provides tailored accessible solutions and Megabus offers guidance to passengers with disabilities, though it is important to book any special requirements in advance.

Getting around North and South Wales by car is straightforward. Travelling from north to south is a picturesque route that includes Eryri (Snowdonia), the Cambrian Mountains and the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), it’s not the fastest route but think of the views, picnic and photo opportunities.

The most scenic drives in Wales count among the best in Britain. Some favourite routes with fantastic views include the A466 along the Wye Valley, the B4574 from Rhayader to the Vale of Rheidol, the A4069 across the Black Mountain range, the A4086, A498 and A4085 around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and Marine Drive around Great Orme, Llandudno.

There's a list of electric charging points on the Transport for Wales website. There are electric vehicle charging points in many National Trust locations. You can charge your car while you visit a stately home or enjoy exploring a garden or beach. There are also 40 charging points at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, Mid Wales.

Visitors driving in Wales should be aware that laws in Wales regarding speed limits on the roads differ from the rest of the UK. Please head to the gov.wales website for more information.

Rural Wales is one of Britain’s best cycling destinations. By following the National Cycle Network, you can explore some of Wales’ most appealing country lanes, disused railway lines and forest paths by bike. Sustrans, the charity which created the network, has a great list of routes on their website. There are also several major long-distance routes:

• Lôn Las Cymru (NCR 8) – Anglesey, Eryri (Snowdonia), Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), Cardiff, Chepstow
• Lôn Cambria (NCR 8 and 81) - Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
• North Wales Coast Cycle Route (NCR 5/8/45) – Anglesey to Chester
• Lôn Geltaidd (NCR 4) – Fishguard to Chepstow

With the completion of the Wales Coast Path, it’s possible to walk or hike right around our country. The Coastal Path connects up with the Offa’s Dyke Path, one of the three National Trails in Wales. The other two National Trails are the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and Glyndŵr’s Way in Mid Wales.

Other popular long distance public footpaths in Wales include the Cambrian Way high level walk along the middle of Wales between Cardiff and Conwy, and the Wye Valley Walk from Chepstow to Plynlimon. All of these walking routes pass through spectacular landscapes.

The Wales Way is a family of three national routes that lead you into the heart of real Wales.

The Coastal Way travels the west coast around Cardigan Bay, a 180-mile (290km) road-trip between the sea and mountains. The Cambrian Way crosses the spine of Wales for 185 miles (300km) between Llandudno and Cardiff, through National Parks and big green spaces. The North Wales Way leads 75 miles (120km) past mighty castles into the island of Anglesey.

We’ve also suggested loops and detours so that you can go 'igam ogam' and create your own Wales Way road-trip.